Biomaterial Database

Contribution of electrophysiological studies to cerebellar physiology. 1988

R S Dow

Neurological Sciences Institute, Good Samaritan Hospital and Medical Center, Portland, OR 97210.

Electrical stimulation and the recording of electrical potentials have made important contributions to the classic formulations of cerebellar function. These electrical methods also have contributed to a re-appraisal, now underway, of the cerebellar role in the human brain. Beyond its accepted role in motor function, the cerebellum seems to contribute to some nonmotor functions. It is now known to communicate with the prefrontal cortex as well as with the motor cortex of the frontal lobe, and it seems to be involved in some prefrontal cognitive and language functions as well as in motor function. Investigations of cerebellar involvement in such functions are now being carried out, with encouraging results. If confirmed by further clinical evidence, this broader concept of cerebellar function would explain the mystery of why the most lateral parts of the cerebellum enlarged dramatically in the human brain, concomitantly with the enlargement of the cerebral association areas.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009482	Neurophysiology	The scientific discipline concerned with the physiology of the nervous system.
D011877	Radionuclide Imaging	The production of an image obtained by cameras that detect the radioactive emissions of an injected radionuclide as it has distributed differentially throughout tissues in the body. The image obtained from a moving detector is called a scan, while the image obtained from a stationary camera device is called a scintiphotograph.	Gamma Camera Imaging,Radioisotope Scanning,Scanning, Radioisotope,Scintigraphy,Scintiphotography,Imaging, Gamma Camera,Imaging, Radionuclide
D002526	Cerebellar Diseases	Diseases that affect the structure or function of the cerebellum. Cardinal manifestations of cerebellar dysfunction include dysmetria, GAIT ATAXIA, and MUSCLE HYPOTONIA.	Cerebellar Dysfunction,Cerebellum Diseases,Cerebellar Disorders,Cerebellar Syndromes,Cerebellar Disease,Cerebellar Disorder,Cerebellar Dysfunctions,Cerebellar Syndrome,Cerebellum Disease,Disease, Cerebellar,Disease, Cerebellum,Disorder, Cerebellar,Dysfunction, Cerebellar,Syndrome, Cerebellar
D002531	Cerebellum	The part of brain that lies behind the BRAIN STEM in the posterior base of skull (CRANIAL FOSSA, POSTERIOR). It is also known as the "little brain" with convolutions similar to those of CEREBRAL CORTEX, inner white matter, and deep cerebellar nuclei. Its function is to coordinate voluntary movements, maintain balance, and learn motor skills.	Cerebella,Corpus Cerebelli,Parencephalon,Cerebellums,Parencephalons
D004558	Electric Stimulation	Use of electric potential or currents to elicit biological responses.	Stimulation, Electric,Electrical Stimulation,Electric Stimulations,Electrical Stimulations,Stimulation, Electrical,Stimulations, Electric,Stimulations, Electrical
D004594	Electrophysiology	The study of the generation and behavior of electrical charges in living organisms particularly the nervous system and the effects of electricity on living organisms.
D004827	Epilepsy	A disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of paroxysmal brain dysfunction due to a sudden, disorderly, and excessive neuronal discharge. Epilepsy classification systems are generally based upon: (1) clinical features of the seizure episodes (e.g., motor seizure), (2) etiology (e.g., post-traumatic), (3) anatomic site of seizure origin (e.g., frontal lobe seizure), (4) tendency to spread to other structures in the brain, and (5) temporal patterns (e.g., nocturnal epilepsy). (From Adams et al., Principles of Neurology, 6th ed, p313)	Aura,Awakening Epilepsy,Seizure Disorder,Epilepsy, Cryptogenic,Auras,Cryptogenic Epilepsies,Cryptogenic Epilepsy,Epilepsies,Epilepsies, Cryptogenic,Epilepsy, Awakening,Seizure Disorders
D005260	Female		Females